Traveling through Tartarus
by Whitehorse102
Summary: You are banished from reading this unless you've read the MOA. Okay, here we go with a new Percabeth story. Percy and Annabeth are in the deepest, darkest part of the underworld. THey have to find the Doors of Death, perferably without dying, and perferably without going insane or getting captured. It's an immpossibly hard task. Follow theire struggle, if you dare...
1. Chapter 1

**Hola, mis amigos! I want to start this story with one word: sorry! I kno i promised you guys a new PJ+AC story over the summer, and i seriously had been brainstorming! i swear! but, then the MOA came out, and for those who didn't read it, then, I BANISH YOU FROM READING THIS STORY. I REPEAT, UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE MARK OF ATHENA, YOU CANNOT READ THIS STORY. unless you really, really, really, really want spoilers. I'll admit, when i finished reading the MOA, i did alot of cussing, crying, thrashing, complaining, sulking, yelling, and finally, collasping out of exhaustion. it was THAT heartwrenching. Anyways, i finally got the idea when i was tumblring percabeth, and i found all these inspiring idea that made my brain have one of those moments when it actually WORKS! (shocker). so, here is the result! I will be updating soon, so stay tuned! get ready for some fuzzy and cuddly moments! :P!**

_THUMP_.

Percy groaned, and rolled onto his side. His hand was still clenched tightly in Annabeth's. He stuided her. They were lying on something that was a mix between black asphalt, or gray sand. There was a faint light coming from something that Percy hoped was just a torch.

Annabeth's face was gray. Her eyes were closed. She was passed out. Percy looked down, and saw the web that had pulled her down into the eternal abyss. It was still wrapped around her ankle. Percy sat up. He grabbed it, and reached into his pocket. His ballpoint pen, Riptide, was still there, thank the gods. He uncapped it, and the bronze sword grew in his hand. He swung it around once, just to be relaxed by its feel. "Hold still, Annabeth." He whispered.

Swiftly and efficiently, he cut the web. He turned to his girlfriend, and brushed the webs and dust off his girlfriend's face. She stirred as he pulled the last web from her cheek. "P-Percy?" Her voice trembled, and was weak.

He rested his hand on her cheek, and leaned in close so he could feel her breath on his face. "I'm here."

She weakly grabbed his hand on her cheek, and fresh tears fell from her eyes. He wiped them away with his fingers.

"We'll be okay." He promised, though he didn't feel too hopeful.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "It's all my fault. I should have cut the webs."

"Shh." He hushed her. He lifted her carefully into a sitting position, and wrapped his arms around her. "It wasn't your fault. It was Arachne's."

At the name, a low, hiss erupted farther away. It was a laugh, Percy realized. Annabeth whimpered and tensed in his arms. He turned, and glared as the shadow of the spider/women hissed. Then, when she came into view, Percy had to smile.

"Curse it, girl!" Arachne cursed. She rolled around, still very much stuck in something that looked like…were those Chinese handcuffs? "My webbing is too strong!"

Percy stared at Annabeth in amazement. "You really are amazing, I hope you know that."

Annabeth was crying. "What if it breaks?" She sniffed.

Percy lifted her into his arms. He looked around. They had fallen towards the edge of the pit. There was a niche in the hole wall. Though Tartarus wasn't a place Percy wanted to camp out, they both needed to rest. Annabeth especially. He nestled her carefully into the niche. "Comfy?" He asked.

Annabeth smirked. "Not really."

"I'm sorry I can't do more." He swung his sword, and faced Arachne. "But I have a spider to squash."

Arachne let out a hiss that could have passed as a snort. "Idiot boy! You can't kill me! I'm already in Tartarus."

Percy strolled over. He jumped on the webbing, and saw Arachne's face. Her features were so horrible, Percy was glad to have the opportunity to drive his sword through her face. "I know. I just want the satisfaction of doing it. You mess with Annabeth, you mess with me. If I so much as find one-_one_-little spider near Annabeth, I will personally find your essences, and throw it in a blender. You thought Tarturas was bad?" He grabbed the threads, and pulled the spider (hopefully uncomfortably) until they were face to face. The spider women's eyes were filled with fear, and hatred. "I'm worse. I'll kill you until your essences will never be able to return!" With that, Percy dropped the spider women to the ground, and with one swipe of the sword, Arachne's body went limp.

Percy jumped off the cuffs. He walked over to Annabeth.

"We'll face worse. All the monsters we've faced…maybe even Kr…the Titan Lord, will be down here. What makes you think we can survive?" Her voice cracked, and she looked ready to give up.

Something about seeing Annabeth like that made Percy even more determined not to die. He gripped her hands, and held them up to his chest. "We'll make it out. We're together. Nothing can stop us. We have to find the Doors of the Death. I won't let you die…" He hesitated, then kissed her on the forehead. "I won't let _us _die."

Percy took first watch. Annabeth slept with her head in his lap. She had slept before, but had such terrible nightmares, Percy refused to let her sleep alone. He stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. He watched for monsters, his sword in hand. He didn't want to know what was down here. But, he was scared. The darkest part of the underworld...

Percy expected more monsters. He was surprised that they hadn't encountered more. He was terrified, but, something about being with Annabeth calmed him at the same time. He recalled the old legends(okay, so maybe he saw some things on Wikipedia too) that Tarturas was a place for torture. Worse than the Fields of Punishment. This is where all the monsters are tormented. Hopefully, they'd be too busy being tortured to bother Percy and Annabeth much.

Ha. That would be nice.

Annabeth stirred in his lap, she blinked up at him. "Tell me it was all just a horrible nightmare."

Percy sighed. "I wish."

"Have we been attacked?"

Percy stroked her slowly, and rubbed her arms. "Not yet."

"I'm scared."

"Me too."

They were quiet for a minute. Finally, Annabeth shivered.

"Cold?"

"Of course I'm cold, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said halfheartedly.

Percy thought for a moment, then took off his shirt. He lied it across his girlfriend's body the best he could. "Better?"

Annabeth smiled faintly, and curled towards his abs. "Nice gesture. Kinda old fashioned, and your half naked now. But, thanks."

Percy smirked. He stroked Annabeth head again, and listened as her breathing slowed, showing she was asleep once again. He looked around. He couldn't believe he was actually in Tartarus. He never imagined he'd have to go here. Now, Gaea was all around him. Monsters knew they were there, but they were either too busy to bug Annabeth and him, or they were stalling for time. Percy felt despair fill up inside him. His chances of survival were seriously small. More than they'd ever been.

Then he looked at Annabeth. The feel of Annabeth's breath on his legs. Her hair tickling his legs. Her eyes, shut now, but still somehow attractive. The sight of her with his shirt covering her…

Percy knew. He wouldn't let Annabeth die. They'd come so far, and they weren't going to stop now. They were going to find the Doors of Death, and by the gods, if he had to fight every last monster to ever take shape in this world, then so be it. Nothing was going to stop him from keeping Annabeth safe. Nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am seriously touched. I have gotten so many comments that warmed me to my heart. In my last chapter, i got a really mean comment. Then, i got all these awesome reviews for my story, telling me to ignore that review, and someone even went to the trouble of posting it on tumblr...all i can say is thanks so much for all the love and kind words. i have never felt so touched, and i mean that. Because of that, i made this chapter. just to say...i wrote it on sunday night...at 2 am. yeah...ill try not to fall asleep during school, but i think it's worth it. i wish i could thank you more! Unforunately, this is all i can give you as a thank you. i re-read the MOA over the weekend, and came up with some ideas. here is the result. i appreciate all your support so much! i hope you all enjoy, and i'll try to update as soon as possible. **

"H-Hey!" Annabeth gasped. With an arm around Percy, he had to bend with her as she reached down. She brushed away some of the gray sand, and picked up her glowing, Celestial Bronze dagger. "My dagger!"

"Great!" Percy smiled. They smiled a lot lately. Even though they were traveling through Tartarus; only the deepest, darkest, most evil filled place in the underworld. Smiling made it seem better. Annabeth had to focus on the good things, after all. She had ended up alone with her boyfriend that she missed for eight long months.

Although…Tartarus wasn't exactly the place she imagined with her fantasy.

Percy helped her stand again. He frowned down at her broken ankle, still wrapped in bubble wrap. They'd done all they could to redo the splint, and keep the bubble wrap from unraveling, but it kept slipping out of the splint.

She scowled at it. "I know, I know. But, we can't do anymore."

Percy sighed. "Let's keep going."

Annabeth and him hobbled along. Monsters hissed, roared, snarled, and made other various noises in the dark. So far, Annabeth calculated that they'd fought over twenty monsters. Percy did most of the work, but if they got to close…well, a broken ankle didn't affect Annabeth's ability to throw sharp stones.

Annabeth glanced at Percy worriedly. He had a million cuts and bruises, and the bags under his eyes were deeper than usual. He needed rest more than Annabeth. But, if he slept…Annabeth didn't think she could fend off a monster. She wanted to have Percy rest, but all her wisdom wouldn't prove very useful against a monster who killed first, and chatted later.

A rumble made them stop. Percy looked around at the walls. "Not good."

Annabeth heard Gaea's laughter all around her. They were basically in her hands, after all. She was down here with them, Annabeth was sure of it. The goddess was still asleep, thank the gods, but Queen Dirt Face could still order monsters to attack them.

Then, they heard a snort, and something between a roar and cow's moo.

Percy cursed. He lowered Annabeth to the ground, and faced the Minotaur for the third time in his life. The monstrous bull snorted, it's eyes flaring with glee and rage. It was a mass of bull and furry above his waist, and lower was a set of furry goat legs. It's nose was running, and with a nose that big…well, Annabeth felt sick enough already.

"I'm getting sick of seeing your face." Percy grumbled. "How many times do I need to kill you to remind you I'm just the better fighter?"

The Minotaur charged. Percy rolled out of the way, and stabbed the Minotaur in the side as it speed by. Percy attacked rapidly. IN three more swings, the Minotaur was gone.

Annabeth clapped her hands softly, hoping not to draw attention. "Impressive. Your getting better."

Percy hoisted her to her feet, and put her arm around her once more like nothing happened. "He just gets dumber and dumber."

"Or you get better and better."

"I could take that too."

Annabeth giggled. Percy and her waded forward. "The Doors of Death…where do you think they are?"

Percy scanned around them, then sighed. "No clue. Tartarus is so big."

Annabeth swallowed her despair. "We'd better keep moving. Do you think it'd be deeper in the pit?"

Percy scratched his head with Riptide's hilt. "Maybe. But I don't feel like we're ready to charge into the worst of Tartarus."

"We won't be getting any better." Annabeth grumbled. She looked at her ankle. The ambrosia she'd eaten back in Rome was helping a lot. If Annabeth bumped her ankle against something, it was just a dull pain. In a few hours at best, she'd probably be able to pull off the splint, and actually walk on her ankle. Then Percy could sleep.

Suddenly, Percy stumbled. Annabeth just managed to steady him. "Percy! Sit down! Before you collapse!"

Percy chuckled softly as he slumped to the ground. Annabeth ended up half on his lap. She felt angry that he was laughing. "Don't laugh! You're ready to drop."

"Sorry." He smiled. He brushed hair out of her face, his gorgeous sea green eyes making Annabeth's anger just melt inside her.

Suddenly, they both froze.

_THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. _

Hissing followed the thumping, and an ancient language Annabeth recognized from a few years ago. Laughter. Annabeth turned slowly, and felt her heart plummet down to her shoes. "Kampe." She whispered.

Percy tried to get up, only to wince and slump back down. "I…I can't…" He cursed under his breath, his teeth gritted.

Annabeth squeezed his hand. She remember Kampe all too well from the Battle of the Labyrinth. The dragon lady was terrifying. With her back end of a dragon, various animals morphing at her waist skin, and her snakes for hair and leg hair(Ew), the monster was seriously scary.

Kampe thundered towards them. A grin on her face. She had lost her swords, but she could still do some serious hurting on Annabeth and Percy.

Suddenly, a huge boulder came from nowhere, and Kampe screamed as more and more covered her. Percy and Annabeth whipped they're heads to the left, and Annabeth nearly cried.

A group of Cyclopes stood there. They wore loincloths, and were tossing rock after rock. Finally, Kampe had to withdraw. One knelt near Percy and Annabeth. He offered a meaty hand. "Demigods. What are you doing here?"

Annabeth had never liked Cyclopes. Tyson was an exception. But now, this group warmed her heart too. They took Percy and Annabeth to a makeshift camp. The tents were crude, but they had hammocks, which could pass as a bed. They also, thank the gods, had a stash of ambrosia and nectar. How they got it, Annabeth didn't know, but she was so grateful, she didn't care. Soon, Annabeth's splint was removed, her ankle was better, and Percy's cuts and bruises were gone. They sat together around a campfire on a log, eating some meat that Annabeth didn't really focus on too much. It was food, and see needed some of that. She didn't want to know where it came from.

The leader of the group, a Cyclopes named Leroy(which Annabeth tried not to find funny), threw a log onto the fireplace. "So." He eyed Percy and Annabeth. "A son of Poseidon, and a daughter of Athena. Obviously a couple."

Annabeth tried not to blush, but she refused to let go of Percy's hand.

"You defeated Arachne, but she pulled you into the abyss." He summed up. "Oh, and Gaea is rising, and you are part of seven demigods that must defeat her and close the Doors of Death."

"Pretty much." Percy shrugged.

"Hmm." Leroy took a bite out of his meat, chewed, then swallowed. "Well, I'm amazed your still alive down here."

"We're lucky that way." Percy took a bit of the meat as well.

Annabeth tried not to gag. "If you don't mid me asking, what are _you _doing here? I thought Zeus freed the Cyclopes from Tartarus!"

"He did." Leroy agreed, nodding his head. "But we know of Gaea's rising. She's brought us here, one way or another." Leroy clapped a Cyclops next to him on the shoulder. "Monsters attacked us. Some of us were pushed, some of us tricked. Others…" He shook his head. "But we managed to live on."

"Is Gaea targeting all Cyclopes?" Percy asked nervously. "I have a brother, Tyson. I don't want him-"

"If the boy stays away from any pits to Tartarus, he will be fine." Leroy put up his hand.

Annabeth put her head on his shoulder, and watched the flames. "Leroy…Thank you. Seriously, Kampe would have killed us if you hadn't come along."

"Kampe?" The Cyclops snorted. His brown eye narrowed at the flames. "We are happy to attack that wench. We no longer fear her. We no longer fear anything. Not after being here for so long."

The bitterness in his voice stung Annabeth like a bee in her heart. "We can get you out." She said, and idea forming in her head. "See, we're trying to find the Doors of the Death from this side. We need to close them. Since Gaea opened them, that's what we need to do. You can help us!"

The Cyclops eye turned dark. "That's a ridiculous idea, daughter of Athena. Monsters swarm those Doors. Going there would be suicide."

"Like falling into Tartarus?" Annabeth said.

The Cyclops chuckled. "Touché."

"Look, Leroy…" Percy hesitated, and Annabeth elbowed him. "We can't do this alone. It'll be hard, but we can do it! Annabeth and I made it this far. We won't quit now. Please."

Leroy sighed, and there the rest of his meat into the bonfire. "To the gods." He murmured.

Annabeth felt stunned. Even in Tartarus, with his life so hard, Leroy would offer a burnt offering to the gods and goddesses who had messed up Annabeth's life so much. She exchanged a glance with Percy, and then nodded. They threw the rest of their meat into the fire as well.

"To the gods." They both said.

Just for a microsecond, Annabeth thought she could smell Camp Half Blood's dining pavilion. Her friends laughing, chatter going around, and her exchanging battle plans for Capture the Flag.

That night, the Cyclopes announced that Percy and Annabeth would have to share a hammock. That was fine with Annabeth. She'd be happy to have a sleeping buddy for tonight. The hammock was made for a twelve foot tall Cyclops too, so it'd wasn't as if there wasn't enough room.

Percy crawled in first, and Annabeth hopped in next. The hammock rocked back and forth soothingly as Percy pulled the blankets over both of them. In the dark, Annabeth could just see Percy's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, and she curled into his chest, drawing warmth. The hammock and blanket felt amazing. She could still hear the monsters screeching, but for the first time in a while, Annabeth felt safe.

Three Cyclopes were guarding the camp as sentries. Percy's arms were around her, and she was sleeping somewhere else then a hard ground. She let out a sigh.

Percy was stroking her hair. Gently finger brushing it, though it didn't do much good. He laughed when he heard her sigh though. "Comfy?" He asked.

"Yes. You?"

"Yep." He snuggled closer to her.

Annabeth smiled. "Do you think we can convince the Cyclopes to help us?"

Percy stopped playing with her hair, and kissed the top of her head. "We have too, so we will." He whispered.

The hammock rocked slowly, and Annabeth closed her eyes.

**NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE ON THE NAME LEROY. I AM AT A STUMP FOR CYCLOPES NAMES. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, FEEL WELCOME TO LEAVE THEM IN THE REVIEWS. TY TO ALL:) **


	3. Chapter 3

**So, i know how seriously painful waiting a whole year for a book to come out(ahem, ahem, house of hades, ahem, ahem), so i'm trying to update as fast as i can. I had an idea, but i don't like this chapter the best. Still, enjoy! Remember, Review! :)**

A screech split the air. Annabeth shot up in the hammock. Percy was gone. "Percy!" She cried. She tried to untangle herself from the hammock, and only managed to tip it. Just before she hit the ground, someone caught her.

"Whoa!" Percy said. He was shirtless, and with a red feeling in her face, she realized he had been trying to wash his shirt in a bucket of water. "Annabeth, calm down. The Cyclopes are fighting off a monster."

Annabeth tried to slow her heart beat. "Oh. Sorry."

He put her back on the hammock so her feet were dangling. He brushed her hair out of her face. "You good?"

She smiled, and nodded. "Yeah…But could you put your shirt back on?" Not that there was anything wrong with Percy's abs. Seriously, Annabeth liked what she saw. Still though, she wanted to be alert and ready. Percy's abs were interfering with that plan.

He smirked, and pulled his shirt out of the bucket. He twisted it, and squeezed to get the water out. "I talked to Leroy."

"You did? What about?"

"Him helping us find the Doors of Death." Percy sighed. He fanned out his shirt, then squeezed it the other way. He slipped it over his head. "He's stubborn, and scared."

"Well, you saw how bad things are down here." She said. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders. "It's worse at the Doors of Death."

Percy sighed. He stood up, and walked over to Annabeth. He fixed the blanket around her. "Nico was there. He was totally distraught."

Annabeth felt her throat close up as Percy described what the son of Hades had been like when they first pulled him out of the jar. "It wasn't just the lack of oxygen, was it?" Annabeth whispered.

Percy sighed. "I don't think so."

Annabeth was quiet. She wasn't sure what Nico saw, but she didn't like how Percy described them.

"Hey." Percy put his hand on her cheek, and looked in her eyes. "Nico was alone. We're together."

Annabeth smiled in spite of herself. She threw her arms around Percy. Then she shoved him away playfully. "Okay. Well get out of here, Seaweed Brain. I need to wash my clothes, and I don't want an audience."

Percy chuckled as she shoved him out the tent flap playfully. "I'm going, I'm going." He muttered. Outside, he walked over to Leroy, who was chatting with another Cyclops on monster reports.

"..serious." The one said. "They really want those demigods."

Percy shrugged. "We're just that loved."

Leroy laughed, and clapped Percy on the back, which almost sent him sprawling. "By the gods! Your funny."

Percy smiled. "It's one of my talents." He turned to the other Cyclopes. "Gaea will send her worse to us. She wanted two of the seven. A boy and a girl. Now, Annabeth and me are stuck down here, until we can close the Doors of Death."

Leroy's smile faded. "I told you, son of Poseidon. We cannot fight that many monsters."

"It's worth a try. Leroy, don't you want to be free? Don't you want to get out of this dark pit, and see the sun again?"

Leroy stared at the tents around him, his eye full of sadness. "It would be a pointless battle."

"If Annabeth and I had thought that way, we would be dead by now." Percy pointed out. He wanted to keep going, but he also noticed that Leroy had a huge club stuck to his back. He wasn't sure he should push it.

Leroy sighed. "You speak well enough. Let me at least think on this matter." Leroy moved off, switching places with a sentry.

Suddenly, Annabeth burst out of the tent. Her clothes were damp, but as clean as they were going to get. She ran to the nearest Cyclops. "Do you know if you can send an Iris-message from down here?"

The Cyclops sighed. "Tartarus is out of the goddess's sight, daughter of Athena. It was a good plan, but it will not work."

Annabeth's face fell. She sighed. "GO figure." She trudged over to Percy. He put an arm around her.

"Don't worry. We'll find some way to contact out friends." He promised, though he really didn't believe it. He looked up at the ceiling, which was dotted with pointed stones pointing down. To Percy, they seemed to be straining, trying to fall and impale him.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm starting to get stumps for this story on what to happen next, but I'm thinking next chapter is a special POV from our friends on the Argo 2, but i'm still comtemplating it. If you have any ideas for me, please feel free to post them in your reviews! Enjoy! Remember, Review! :)**

Annabeth drove her dagger through the hellhound, and it denigrated. She spun backwards to avoid a huge, black paw, and ended up back to back with Percy. "Gods!" She yelled over the noise. "There's just too many!"

"Keep fighting!" Percy responded, slashing his sword to fend off another hellhound.

Annabeth stabbed a hellhound in the shoulder. In the two days Percy and her had taken shelter with the Cyclopes, the monsters attacks had gotten worse and worse. Annabeth frequently heard Gaea's laughter in her head.

Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Leroy the Cyclops bashing hellhound's heads with his club.

Once more, Annabeth felt guilt well up inside of her. It was her fault this legion of hellhounds were attacking Leroy's clan. Life was hard enough already-what with living in Tartarus and all. But now, Leroy had to deal with two demigods who were attracting way to much attention to be able to sleep in peace.

Speaking of sleeping….Annabeth saw Percy get tackled by a hellhound, so she spun around, and stabbed the hound three times on the back. It disengaged, and she helped her boyfriend up. "You alright?" She panted.

"Fine." He grunted. HE jumped onto the back of a hellhound, and drove his sword through it. Annabeth had been spending ever spare moment with the boy(except when she washed her clothes, thank the gods), but in the small moments when they were apart, Annabeth worried. She worried that a monster sent by Gaea would catch him by surprise one day, and take him away from her.

She cried out as huge jaws clamped around her mid section. Percy immediately ran towards her, but the hellhound already picked her up,a dn was loping off. "Percy!" She cried. He chased after them, but he was trailing farther and farther behind.

Annabeth winced as the hellhound squeezed around her stomach. The razor sharp teeth dug into her skin, and Annabeth desperately stabbed the monster in the cheek. It howled in pain, and Annabeth was dropped. She rolled on a slope for a bit, when suddenly Percy grabbed her.

"No you don't." He grunted. He helped her back up tot eh top of the slope.

Annabeth threw her arms around him with relief. She was being clingy, and she knew it. But, Percy wasn't much better. Annabeth clenched his shirt in her hands, trying to fight back the urge to cry with relief. Percy held her for a moment, and then they broke apart. "Come on." Percy said. He stood, and offered Annabeth a hand.

Annabeth took it, but as soon as she straightened, she cried out in pain, and slumped back on the ground. She put her arm over her gut, and felt her blood leaking from the puncture wounds in her skin.

"Oh gods." Percy knelt again. He moved her arm carefully, and grimaced. "Okay. Hang on." Percy lifted her up carefully, but it still made her whimper with pain. He jogged back into the back flap of a tent, making a wide arc around the dwindling numbers of hellhounds. He lied her down gently on a blanket, and gave her some ambrosia and nectar.

The ambrosia tasted like pepperoni pizza with extra olives-probably since that's what Percy always got her whenever they had picnic's together. Slowly, the bleeding stopped. Annabeth let out a raspy breath.

Percy stroked her cheek. "Will you be okay?"

"I-I think so." She murmured.

He sat beside her. "Gaea is trying to catch us."

Annabeth nodded. "She probably wants to bring us to the Doors of Death, where she can have us right in her face when they kill us."

Percy pondered that. "Thing is, I don't think they'll kill us. Not yet, at least. They're was that thing of my blood spilling on Mount Olympus."

Annabeth winced. "Please don't talk about that."

"Sorry." He sighed, and looked outside. "I should help."

Annabeth felt panic grab her chest. She opened her mouth to stop him, then closed it. She was being way to clingy. Percy could handle himself with a few little hellhounds...but, what if he was captured? Before Annabeth could decide whether to tell him to stay or go, Leroy walked in. THe Cyclops stuffed a square of ambrosia in his mouth, then faced them. He frowned.

"The hellhounds are gone. No more monsters, but we have a lookout." He sat down on a box, and stuided Annabeth. "Your hurt."

"Yeah, but I'll be okay. I let myself get distracted. Sorry." Percy helped Annabeth sit up after she tried to do it herself.

Leroy stretched his neck. "What for?"

"We're like monster magnets. Your facing all these monster because of us."

Leroy sighed, and stood up. He grabbed his club, and for a moment Annabeth thought he was going to whack her. Instead, he just rested it on his shoulder. "It's not your fault Gaea wants you dead. So, I don't blame you. Besides,' He opened the flap, and Annabeth saw the Cyclops working the camp. "Since we can't help you with your quest to the Doors of Death, it's the least we can do." The Cyclops left.

Annabeth couldn't help it. She started to cry, and buried her face in Percy's chest. "It's not fair!" She wailed. She couldn't keep it in anymore. She let out a string of complaints of why _they_ had to fall into Tartarus, why this stupid, messed up world of gods and monsters was their world, and why they couldn't just be allowed to actually _live_ they're life without the constant threat of dying?

Percy sighed. "I agree with you completely. But, there isn't anything we do. One day, when this is all over…" He seemed to be searching for words. "We'll be okay." He finally said.

It wasn't much, and not exactly the most rousing speech Annabeth was looking for. Still though, it warmed her to the inside. Then Percy continued, and her tears changed from tears of pain to tears of joy.

"I wish…I wish I could just make everything okay for us. Then we can finally have a happily ever after."

Annabeth kissed him. She couldn't help it. She just had to. She pressed her lips against his, and pulled away. She pulled him into a hug, and through sniffles, she said. "Seaweed Brain, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. I feel the same way."

"Good. I don't like sounding like an idiot in front of you."

"Well, I do. Cause your _my _idiot."


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a special chapter of Traveling through Tartarus. Want to see how our friends on the Argo 2 are doing? Well, here you go. It's in POV of Piper, only because i feel like i kno her the best. Like, we both think the same way on a lot of things(don't get me wrong though-daughter of the Poseidon all the way) If you don't like Pipes, sorry! Enjoy! Remember, Review!**

Piper stared at the horizon, her hand griping the starboard shield's on the Argo 2. The sunset over Rome was beautiful, but Piper had to scowl at the city. It was where Percy and Annabeth had fallen to Tartarus. The city was beautiful when they arrived. Now that they were leaving, it was filled with bad memories.

Jason slide neat to her, and gripped her hand. "You alright?"

She sighed. "Thinking."

Jason sighed. The sunset made his hair seemed to glow. The little scar on his lip was so cute, Piper's heart ached. "Glad we're finally leaving?"

Piper nodded. "Yes. The ship's updates are pretty cool."

Jason cracked a smile. "You bet. Leo's a genius."

"More like a madman." Piper laughed.

Jason sighed. "Do you miss them?"

Piper's smile faded. "Yeah. I should search for them more." Her hand went to her dagger's hilt, but Jason grabbed it.

"You sure? I want to find them, of course. But…lately Katropis has only been giving you nightmares." Jason said worriedly.

It was true. Katropis never showed her the whole thing. The past week since Percy and Annabeth fell, she had been trying to see if she could see them in her dagger. The only thing she had seen was the Romans of Camp Jupiter making battle plains. Octavian was normally leading them, but then it seemed like Reyna had been pointing out all the flaws she could. That had warmed Piper's heart. She _was _trying to slow Octavian down.

Then, there was the dark, empty, Pantheons. She wasn't sure why the dagger had shown her that, but it made her worry. Was something bad going to happen there? Piper wasn't sure, and she didn't know if she wanted to find out.

There was also the dark, evil, pi. That was probably Tartarus, and even though that was probably her best bet, she couldn't focus. She felt the evil and cold spreading through her dagger. She was afraid if she kept it up, the dagger would break from the sheer force of evil.

Still, she wanted to try. She looked at Jason. "I…I want them here. I feel…I feel awful."

"We all feel that way. It wasn't anyone's fault though. I thought we agreed that." Jason's voice was tight. Piper had suspected that her boyfriend blamed himself too, but was trying to force down the feeling. As a daughter of Aphrodite, she could normally read people pretty well. It was one of her talents. Unfortunately, a pretty voice couldn't save her friends from falling down a hole, or bring them back.

Hazel and Nico came up the stairs. They were deep in conversation, and didn't pay Jason and Piper any attention. "…alive." Nico was saying. "It's hard to focus on them, since they're so far away."

Hazel nodded. "I'm not too good about the whole deathly powers."

NIco nodded. "You're more wealth and jewels, Hazel. Maybe you can feel death, though."

She shivered. "It's a creepy feeling."

Nico shrugged. "You get used to it."

Piper drilled herself out of listening when Jason waved his hand in front of her face. "Pipes, did you hear me?"

"Sorry, no." She said sheepishly.

"I said you should get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Piper opened her mouth, and a yawn came out. She nodded sleepily, and gave Jason a kiss as she walked by him.

In her cabin, Piper unsheathed her dagger. She took a deep breath. Her free had clutched her dagger. She was scared, but she was too worried to do anything else. She stared at the dagger. Her reflection showed for a while, and then her reflection started to ripple. She thought about Annabeth and Percy.

Wait a second…didn't Annabeth have a knife?

Piper momentarily forgot about her own knife. How could have she forgotten Annabeth had a knife too? But when she looked back at the dagger, she gasped. "Annabeth!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyyyyyy guyz! So, i know i left off at a sort of cliffhanger there, but, ya know...DON'T KILL ME! I SORRY! I HAD TO DO IT! lol, anyways. I'm running low on ideas. I'd appreciate some help in the reviews. Every idea counts! I want to hear them ALL. Enjoy, and remember...(dramatic pause)...REVIEW!**

Annabeth jumped, dropping the washcloth back into the bucket. Percy lie on the hammock, still asleep. He grunted when the PLOP of the washcloth falling back in water sounded. She looked around. She was sure she had just heard Piper yell "Annabeth!", but that was impossible. She reached to grab the washcloth, when she heard it again. "Annabeth! It's Piper! Can you hear me?"

Slowly, Annabeth turned, and looked at her knife. She gasped. The knife never had any special powers (as far as she knew), but Piper's did. The knife once belonged to Helen of Troy, and she had apparently used to it stay updated on news when she was under house arrest(something like that). The knife let the user see visions of the future sometimes, but…this?

Annabeth scrambled on her knees to the knife. She had stabbed it into the ground, but Piper's image was still there. It was like a reflection. Piper's choppy brown hair was braided down the right side, and her eyes were blotchy with tears of relief. "Annabeth!" She cried.

"P-Piper?! How-How…?"

"I don't know! But, I am so glad! Are you okay? Where's Percy?"

Annabeth glanced over her shoulder. She smiled. The poor boy had stayed up late last night helping defend the camp. Good thing Percy could sleep like a log(and make a lot of noise while he was at it), and he was oblivious to the conversation. "He's fine. He's asleep."

Piper looked surprised. "You can sleep down there?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer, but just then a monster screeched along with Leroy's yell of rage.

Piper's eyes widened.

Annabeth smiled at her friend's surprised look. "We found some friends."

"Friends? You're in the deepest, darkest, most evil pit in Hades, and you found friends?" Piper blinked several times, like she couldn't believe it.

Annabeth shrugged. She explained about Leroy and his band of Cyclopes, how they'd saved Percy and her from Kampe, and how they allowed them to take refuge. "We're trying to get them to help us close the doors of Death."

Piper winced. "About that. We think you have a deadline. Just until August 1st."

Annabeth blinked. "What happens on August 1st?" Then it hit her, and her heart seemed to plummet. "Until…" She looked around. She'd learned the hard way that if they said Queen Dirt Face's name out loud, hordes of monsters would attack. "Until you-know-who wakes up?"

Piper nodded grimly. "Nico has recovered more or less. He said there are thousands of monsters guarding the doors. You really, need this Leroy's help to be able to close the doors."

Annabeth looked towards the tent flap. She could just see the Cyclopes as they ate that strange meat (Annabeth never had the courage to ask what it really was) around the fireplace. She saw how tired and upset the Cyclopes were. Percy and her had been trying, but they were losing the urge to press on. They saw how bad things were down here. How could they lead these poor Cyclopes to (literally) death's doorstep? She looked back at Piper. "We're trying. But…" Her voice quavered. "Down here…It's…It's..." She couldn't find the right words. She could say so many complaints, but they wouldn't do any good.

Piper frowned. "You need help."

"Of course we do!" Then Annabeth's eyes widened. "No. Piper, you can't come down here. Don't send anyone down here. We'll make it out. You have to believe that."

Piper pursed her lips. "You guys realize that if we're going to close the doors, someone has to stay behind."

"We know." She said firmly. "But we'll worry about that when it actually happens."

Piper looked unconvinced. "We really miss you guys."

"We miss you too." Annabeth nearly cried out the words. She had missed everything about the Argo 2. She missed Jason's Roman personality. She missed Piper's charm speaking. She missed Leo's jokes. She missed Frank's warm and fuzzy feeling. She missed Hazel's 1930s slang. She even missed Coach Hedge's obsession over hitting things with a baseball bat.

Piper managed a smile, and wiped away her tears. "When can we-" Her voice was cut off as the vision rippled. Piper looked alarmed. "We'll see you there! Be-" Just like that, Annabeth's knife lost its glow. The image of Piper faded, and Annabeth was staring at herself. She sat back on her haunches, not sure if she had finally cracked under all the stress, or that actually happened.

Percy stirred, and sat up groggily. "Annabeth? What's…What's wrong?"

She looked at him, then threw her arms around her. She told him everything, and then told him they're deadline.

Percy looked shocked. "You saw Piper in your knife?"

She nodded. "It's weird, but it's true!"

Percy opened his mouth, then he let out a groan, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he was snoring in an instant.

Annabeth put her hands on her hips. "Seaweed Brain." She lied him down on the hammock, redid the blankets, and lie a cool cloth on his forehead. She looked outside. She felt reenergized with


	7. Chapter 7

**Hiya! Sorry I've taken so long with this chapter. I've been going crazy with all the holiday shopping and school and so on. But, i finally found time! I hope this isn't too short. I tried to make it longer this time. Next time, I'm sorry to say, is the last chapter of Traveling Through Tartarus. Sorry! I had to end it SOMETIME. I hope you enjoy!**

**Remember, Review!**

"Pleeeeaaaasssseeeee?" Annabeth begged Leroy. "Our friend said we only have a few weeks!"

Leroy grunted, and scratched the back of his head. "You said you saw your friend in the blade of your knife." He pointed a meaty thumb over his shoulder, at a Cyclops holding mutton close to him, his arms around it. His eye darted around, and he rocked back and forth.

"It's okay. Everything's okay. Don't freak out, Mr. Mutton. It's okay. Shh. Shh." The Cyclops muttered.

"That Cyclops has been driven over the edge, no pun intended. He's been down here so long, he's lost his mind. You may be suffering from some of it." Leroy continued.

"Piper's blade is magic! Helen of Troy used it to stay informed during the Trojan War. It can show you these types of visions! Somehow, it must have connected with my knife. Leroy, please. You have to listen to me! We're not crazy!" Annabeth begged. It had been two days since Annabeth had seen Piper in her knife. Ever since, Percy and her had pleaded and pleaded with Leroy, but the Cyclops was just as stubborn as always.

Percy, who was on sentry duty, called out a warning. "We got Telkhines! Lots of them."

Leroy cursed and pulled out his club. He glared at Annabeth with his one eye. "I hope you have your knife on you at the moment. We'll need it." With that, he yelled a battle cry, and the Cyclopes bellowed in response. Percy looked at Annabeth, then slashed at the nearest Telkhine.

Annabeth swallowed the bitter lump in her throat. She had to get her knife. She rushed back to the tent, and looked around desperately. In the heat of the moment, she had forgotten where she put it. Cursing and in a rush, she looked at the hammock, the bucket of water where they washed they're clothes….There! Next to it. Annabeth scrambled to get it, but as she grabbed the hilt, a hand ripped through the tent wall, and grabbed it too. Annabeth screamed.

The hand was like a telkhine's-human like, but with sharp claws. Annabeth wrestled for her knife, and she was so preoccupied she didn't hear the tent's flap get pushed open. She yelped as slippery arms locked around her own, and yanked her back.

The rip in the tent spread, until Annabeth was face to face with a bunch of the doglike creatures. The one who had grabbed her knife, pulled it out of the ground, and started to sniff it. It poked him in the nose. He yelped, and rubbed his nose. Then he growled, and threw the knife over his shoulder. The telkhine's behind him barked and growled angrily, and started to argue.

Scary? Yes. Smart? Nu-huh.

The telkhine holding Annabeth lifted her feet off the ground. Boy, these things were strong. But Annabeth knew what to do in these situations. Living in Tartarus, with monsters always trying to grab her and carry her off to Gaea, was good practice. She lifted her legs, and flipped herself so that her feet were on the telkhine's shoulders, and her face was upside down. She pushed off the telkhine's arms, and suddenly she was standing on the telkhine's shoulder. The thing was so tall, Annabeth's head brushed the roof of the tent.

The telkhine growled, and grabbed for her legs, but Annabeth jumped off. She landed in the sand part on her knees. She took a deep breath. Fortunately, the trick had worked. Unfortunately, it'd had also gotten the attention of the arguing telkhine's back at her.

Annabeth had no choice. She fled from the tent, the telkhine's in hot pursuit. She looked around desperately. _Where is it? _She thought desperately. But before she could look, she was forced to keep running as the telkhine's crashed through the tent walls. "By the gods, these things are annoying." Annabeth muttered. She rushed to the side of the tent where she'd seen the telkhine's, only to find Percy holding her knife with one hand, and stabbing with Riptide in another.

"Annabeth!" He cried, removing his sword from the dissipating telkhine. He tossed her the knife, and she caught it. "You okay?"

"Fine!" The telkhines rounded the corner. "Actually, never mind." She rushed to Percy's side, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the monsters. Now that she was armed, Annabeth found it easy to fight the telkhines. Dodge a flipper here, stab it here, roll left, duck. It all came to her easily. She was aware of Percy hacking away at the telkhines. None were able to touch the Son of Poseidon, he was so good with a sword.

Finally, the last telkhine had been slayed. For a moment, all was quiet, the Leroy shouted a victory yell, and Percy put her arm around Annabeth. "You alright?"

"I'm okay." Annabeth nodded, removing a strand of hair from her mouth. "You?"

"Just fine." He kissed her forehead, then moved around the camp to check if anyone was hurt.

Annabeth sighed, and looked at her knife. Determination set in. She set her jaw, and marched up to Leroy, who was patching up a wounded Cyclopes with gauze. "Leroy. You want to spend the rest of your life down here? Fighting for your life? Trying desperately to live on rations?"

Leroy's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

Annabeth balled her fists. She felt for the Cyclops, but he was doing absolutely nothing to make it possible for her to help. "Leroy, if you don't fight against Gaea, you'll never see sunlight again. Heck, you'll probably never see light. You're an amazing fighter, yes. But look at Achilles. He was still killed. It can't be long until you, and all your men are killed just like him. Well…it may not be with an arrow to the heel, but-"

Leroy straightened, and suppressed a smile. Finally, eh couldn't' take it. He burst out laughing.

Annabeth felt appalled, and anger too. She put her hand on her hip. "What's so funny?"

Percy walked over, and scowled at Leroy. "We said it'd be a surprise!"

Annabeth frowned, and looked between the two. "Surprise…?"

Percy gave her a sweet smile. "I convinced Leroy last night. His men agree." Percy spread his arms. "We head for the Doors of Death in a few weeks, because that's when we figure we'll meet with the Argo 2's crew."

Annabeth wasn't much of a girly-girl. Gods, she hated those "fangirls". They were so annoying. But Annabeth couldn't help squealing, jumping up and down, and tackling Leroy with a hug. Then she moved onto Percy, and pressed her lips against his. "You! Are! Amazing!" She kissed him again.

Percy broke away, and grabbed her arms. "Annabeth!" He laughed. He moved her arms down to her waist, and embraced her. "It's hard to breathe when I'm being strangled, and it's even _harder _when you kiss me!"

Annabeth laughed, and hugged Percy.

Best. Boyfriend. Ever.

***Note: Annabeth mentions she hates fangirls in this chapter. Do not take offense. I just figured she's the kind of girl who hates...well, fangirling. I understand half of you are fangirls(fanboys), and so on. I myself am a fangirl. So, DON'T TAKE OFFENSE!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm at a debate right now. Should i do one more chapter? A few years into the future? Or, should i just leave it here? I tried to make it serious, but there are some funny parts to break the ice. If this is the last chapter, i have to say alot of things. **

**1) ty so so so so so so so so so so so so much for all the fangirls and boys out there who followed this story to the end. It had a rough start, with a mean review as it's first. Then all horde of you countered that. You guys are amazing and awesome, and thank you. **

**2) I really enjoyed doing this story. Remember, it may not all add up to Rick Riordian's version, but i put my own spin on things. **

**3) Suggestions in the comments have really helped me improve my writing skills, so thank you again. **

**4)...REMEMBER, REVIEW!**

The screech of war pierced the cave. The hordes of monsters screamed, howled, barked, hissed, and did anything they could to scare away the attackers.

But the attackers weren't buying it. In the darkest pits of hell, they had seen it all. Who was and wasn't your enemy was clear. The attackers had the advantage of fitness. They had lived and trained down here. Every day you lived was a gift. Greed and want did not exist in their hearts. They lived on rations found, feeling like starving scavengers.

But these "scavengers" were no ordinary scavengers. They were created by nature with sharp minds, strong limbs, and something else. Something that would determine their chances of survival.

Hope.

As for the defenders, they had the advantage of numbers. Thousands of monsters, all swarming the Doors of Death, confident and headstrong. Hope for them was a mere play thing. They used it to taunt the attackers, but Hope is so much more. Of course, these defenders would never be able to understand. They are, after all, the crushers of hope. They destroyers.

Annihilators.

The defenders were guarding the Doors of Death.

The attackers were charging the Doors of Death.

Only one side would prevail.

The Doors of Death were beautiful in the way an explosion is beautiful. They shined gold, and they made no sound as they opened. They easily stood as tall as the Empire State Building(and Percy knew what he was talking about), and as they opened, the wails of spirits could be heard. The Dead seeping back into life.

The demigods and group of Cyclopes stood on a sheer cliff. They had a clear view of the soon to be battleground. Hordes of monsters guarded it. As a whole, it looked like a sea of monsters(catch the pun?), with a buoy sticking out of the water. Percy's heart sank as he realized how hopelessly outnumbered they were.

Annabeth slipped her hand into his.

Looking at her, her determined eyes, hard as steel, her dirty blond hair running ragged across her shoulder, something warm grew in him.

Percy had held hope. He had seen it in Pandora's Box. He'd felt it's warmth. He finally realized why it was so vital not to let go. He closed his eyes, and the butterfly Hope appeared in his mind. His heart warmed, and he ponted his sword towards the Doors. "Okay. Plan Review?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed. "We wait until we see the others. We charge. We fight our way to the Doors. We close the doors."

Leroy looked grim. "Both of you realize, my men will run outside as soon as they can. I'm sorry to say, Cyclopes don't have a good sense of honor. The sight of sunlight…" His eye got a little misty.

"We understand." Percy said. He locked eyes with Annabeth. The night before, they had decided that if it was true, someone had to stay behind, they would both stay together. It had been a hard long road, but Percy would do it all over again, as long as he had Annabeth with him.

"Then let us fight." The Cyclopes drew their clubs.

The group waited, and waited. Finally, six shapes appeared at the bottom of the Doors. They were just black figures, but there was no doubt. "That's them! Move!" At Annabeth's call, Percy yelled a battle cry, and they charged.

Percy fought like a maniac. He slashed and whirled and kicked and stabbed so much, he felt as if he was standing in the heart of a sandstorm of evil essences. Annabeth never left his side the whole time. With her dagger, she was amazing. The monsters didn't stand a chance. But, they were rushed. A large mass was rising out of the ground. Underneath a thin layer of earth, Gaea formed. She chuckled softly.

They were out of time.

"Annabeth!" He cried as he knocked away another monster. "We won't make it at this rate!"

"Oh yes, we will." She clutched his hand, and ran towards the huge pound.

"Annabeth!" He screamed. "Are you insane?"

She flashed him a grin. "Just about. I'm sure Leo would be proud. Trust me!"

Percy did. Together they ran towards Gaea, and on Annabeth's command, climbed up her mass of a forming body. Percy stabbed into the earth, and Gaea hissed in anger. The earth trembled, but Annabeth and Percy kept stabbing. When Percy pulled out his blade, it was covered in golden ichor, the blood of gods and titans.

"Demigods!" Leroy roared. "Come!"

Percy looked at Annabeth. "One more time?"

Annabeth twirled her knife, and stabbed it hilt deep. Then she pulled It out, and nodded. "Let's run." They rushed towards the Doors, but just before they reached them, Leo Valdez poked his head through.

"Leo!" Annabeth gasped. "How are you not-"

"Dead? The dude Nico's got some trick. Hazel helps too." He grinned, the fimliar elfish grin made Percy's heart flutter. They had a chance! They could do it! "Good to see you guys, though…" He looked them up and down, then shrugged. "I've looked worse. Hurry! Pipes and Jason are at one door, Hazel and Nico at the other. Frank's playing body guard in dragon form. But…who's staying in here?"

Percy and Annabeth rushed to each side of the Doors.

"Whoa!" Leo stuck his head away, and scrambled out of the way as the Cyclopes trampled through the Doors.

"Sorry!" Annabeth called to Leroy. She looked at Percy. "Ready?"

"Ready."

A wind picked up, blowing all the demigods on each sides of the door's clothes and hair.  
Ah, wind! Percy had never been so grateful for it. Then, as one, and slowly, the demigods pushed. And pushed. And pushed. When they were about two inches from closing the Doors, something grabbed Percy and Annabeth by the guts.

They both yelped, but then they realized who had grabbed them.

"Leroy! Get out of here!" Annabeth cried.

"We're staying! You don't deserve this!" Percy looked around.

Leroy's eyes were warm. "No one deserves to dwell in the darkness, young heros. But, sometimes, there is no other escape."

Annabeth started to cry. She clutched Leroy's arm. "No! We won't leave you here!"

"Annabeth's right, we need to-"

"It's been good, demigods!" Before they could do anything, Leroy tossed the demigods back into the living world.

Instead of backing away, both demigods whipped around to the Doors. "Leroy!" They screamed.

The last view of their friend was him pushing the two Doors closed in time with Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Nico. He smiled at them as hordes of monsters rushed towards him. "You've showed me true light…"

The Doors shut.

Annabeth sobbed, and Percy held his head down.

The other demigods rejoiced. They had done it! The Doors of Death were closed! But….at what cost?


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! Sorry for the long wait, and it's probably not as good as expectations. I sorry! But, as i said in the earlier chapter, thx guys:) It's great to know Rick Riordan has such awesome and kind-hearted fans. C u all in my NEXT Percabeth story! :) Peace!**

Of all the demigods, Percy had to say Nico was most surprised to see them alive. They wanted Annabeth and Percy to get some rest, but the two needed some time in the sun at the moment. They sat in a field, Annabeth sniffing. "I'll miss him."

"I will too." He murmured, relishing in the rays of the sun. He squeezed her hand. "We did it."

Annabeth smiled weakly. "We did."

"Who do you think was most surprised?" He asked.

Annabeth thought for a moment, then smiled. "Nico. I think he's jealous we got out so easy."

"I wouldn't exactly call that, _easy_." Percy brushed Annabeth's hair back.

Annabeth pressed her head against his chest. "That's an understatement."

The couple sat together in peace for a few quiet moments. The sun shone on them, a wind blew, and the air smelled of fresh grass and summer, not of dead carcasses. Percy did feel a little bad though, after all, they left their friends to sort out a group of Cyclopes eager to get out into the world. Percy wished they'd stop in the bath. Which reminded him…

"I call showers first!" Percy yelled as he suddenly got up, and rushed to the Argo 2, parked at a nearby hillside.

Annabeth dropped her jaw. "No fair!" She stumbled to her feet, racing after him. "You got a head start!"

"All's fair in love and showers!" He laughed with glee as he gained on the ship.

Annabeth looked over, and smiled. She skidded on her heels to a stop, and, as she predicted, Percy stopped and turned. "What's wrong?" He panted, out of breath from the sudden sprint.

She smiled, croosed her arms, then pointed.

Percy gasped as a mob of Cyclopes trampled right over him, and dispersed, drunken with their freedom.

Annabeth walked over to her boyfriend, who was sprawled on the gangplank of the Argo. She knelt, and shook her head.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Percy groaned.

"Because I knew they wouldn't hurt you, and because you totally cheated." She gave him a punch on the shoulder followed by a kiss on the cheek. She continued walking up the gangplank.

Percy sat criss-cross, watching his girlfriend disappear under the deck to take her shower.

Jason walked up, casting a shadow over Percy. He laughed. "Man, she got you good."

"Never bet against Annabeth." He muttered with a chuckle.

Jason stretched out his hand. "Well, Leo has made a few changes while you two were out. We now have more than one bathroom."

"Shower included?" Percy asked, taking Jason's hand.

Jason hauled Percy to his feet. "Shower included."

"Thanks, Grace." Percy got ready to take off, but before he could, Jason said.

"It's good to see you, Jackson."

"Ditto." Percy smiled, and then disappeared under the deck to find the other non-occupied bathroom.

The other demigods walked up, and smiled. "Good to have them back." Nico said.

"Nothing's changed, I see." Piper agreed, slipping her hand into Jason's.

"Well, what did we expect?" Hazel asked.

Everyone looked at Nico.

The son of Hades crossed his arms. "I'll have you know I was alone, and I didn't have the help of a gang of Cyclopes."

The demigods laughed, and ran up on board.

Everyone but Leo Valdez. He looked around. All of it, was worth it. It was over. Maybe _now_, they could finally enjoy the rest of their lives.


End file.
